WASHINGTON — More than half of babies in poverty are being raised by mothers who show symptoms of depression, potentially creating problems in parenting and in child development, according to a study.
Depression was found in infants’ mothers of all incomes, with 41 percent reporting symptoms and 7 percent citing severe symptoms. For babies with severely depressed mothers in poverty, 87 percent were breastfed for four months or less.
“A mom who is too sad to get up in the morning won’t be able to take care of all of her child’s practical needs,” said researcher Olivia Golden, who co-authored the paper with two colleagues at the Washington-based Urban Institute.
The research was based on nationally representative data from a federal survey of 14,000 children born in 2001.
